Aeroplane



Aug. 18, 1931. M. F. scHuLTzE AEROPLANE Filed April 20, 1928 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Aug. 18, 1931. M. F. scHULTzE AEROPLANE Filed April 20, 1928 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Au 18, l931- M.. F. scHuLTzE 1,819,794

AER OPLANE Filed April 20, 1928 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Aug. 18, 1931 PATENT OFFICE MAX F. SCHULTZE, OF MANDAN, NORTH DAKOTA AEROPLANE Application filed April 20, 1928. Serial No. 271,486.

This invention relates to improvements in aeroplanes, and particularly to the converting of monoplanes into all-purpose aeroplanes. Making them just as safe for landing on water or snow as on the ground, and at the same time reducing the necessary space required to store them.

It is an object of this invention to divide the main wing or plane of a monoplane into l0 three or more sections, the. middle section of which is fastened rigidly to the fuselage, while the two outer sections are fastened to the middle section by means of hinges and cables and drawbars; said two outer sections 16 also being made leak-proof, and with mechanical means for operating them, so that as the aeroplane lands on water, these outer wing sections can be folded downwards into the water, and thus act as pontoon supports 0 and stabilizers of the plane while on the water.

It is a further object of this invention to again divide the two outer sections of aforesaid wing, by means of hinges and bolt-locks,

so they may be further folded for storing the aeroplane.

It is a further object of this invention to provide an all-purpose landing gear for the aforesaid monoplane, consisting of two hol- 80 low disc wheels with suitable tires mounted thereon, and between said wheels a pontoontype auxiliary wing, which may be of one or two sections; the one section type being tiltable, while the front section of the two section type is fastened rigid with the landing ear and the rear section thereof is made tilta le. The object of the tiltable auxiliary plane being to aid in taking off from the water, and in case of overloading, for eXtra lifting purposes when in flight.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be fully set forth in the following description made in connection with the accompanying drawings, there being three sheets, in which like reference characters refer to the same parts throughout the different views, and in which,

Fig. 1 is a section of what shall hereafter be referred to as the swan type7 of mono- 50 plane.

Fig. 2 is a view in side elevation of the cable and pulley operating mechanism for folding the wings.

Fig. 3 is a View in perspective of the wing operating mechanism as attached to what shall hereafter be referred to as the mosquito type of monoplone.

Fig. et is a front view of the mosquito type of monoplane showing its wings foldable or more degrees past the vertical for hangar purposes.

Fig. 5 is a view in side elevation of the two section type auxiliary pontoon-wing landing gear.

Fig. 6 is a front view of what shall hereafter be referred to as the navigator type of monoplane, showing its outer wing units folded into the water for additional pontoon capacity and added safety while on the water.

Referring to the drawings, the fuselage 4 may be above the center of the single wing span, or below it, or half way in between and so dividing the wing. Thus giving us three standard types of monoplanes, which, unless specifically referred to, shall hereafter be referred to as one single type. The wing itself is divided into either three or five units; the two eXtra units being used merely for folding purposes in order to put the plane into small hangars, but this purpose may also be accomplished by the three unit wing, by folding its two outer units 45 or more degrees past the vertical. The wing unit (l) is the part which acts as a pontoon when the plane is in the water, and therefore must be constructed leaf-proof. Ving unit 2 should be constructed leak-proof and thus act as an additional safety factor. l/Ving unit 3 in the swan and navigator type of monoplanes can also add to the safety factor of said planes on water by being constructed leak-proof. Unless otherwise specifically mentioned the monoplane wing structure herein discussed shall be considered as of the five unit type, consisting of two number 1 units, two number 2 units, and a number 3 unit. These units may be constructed of any material which is suitable for the purpose, and may be constructed in any manner best suit-able for its use. The wing units l and 2 10 act as one unit in all eases excepting when getting the plane ready for the hangar. Therefore wing units 1 and 2 act jointly when revolving them from the horizontal position about hinge 16 to a vertical position for pontoon purposes, and they are thus operated by the cable 15, of which there may be any number of sets, and draw-bars 12 of which there may be one or two for each half of the wing. The draw-bars 12 are in turn 0perated by means of cables 25ct and 25?). Tension on cable 25a and slack on cables 255 and 15 forces the wing units 1 and 2 from a horizontal to a vertical position. A continuation of said tension and slack swings the wing units, 45 or more degrees past the vertical, this being the hangar position for the three unit wing.

Tension on cables 25?) and 15 and slack on cable 25a again forces the wing units 1 and 2 into a horizontal position. Drawbars 12 being slidably mounted either in the wing unit 3, or in yokes attached to the forked landing gear brace 9. The three sets of cables being operated either by hand mechanism in small planes or by power in larger planes. The hand mechanism 17 also remaining in the larger planes in case something should happen to the power system. The mechanism operates with a hand wheel and shaft 35 to which is keyed a lock-gear 50; a dog from foot pedal 36 fitting into it and held into position by spring 37, thus locking the wing units l and 2 into whatever position desired. To the shaft 35 is also keyed worm 39 which drives gear 40 and which in turn is keyed to shaft 42, the shaft being held in bearings 41 and 43. Tothe shaft 42 is also keyed the cable drum 38 about which cables 25a and 25?) are wound and unwound; while cables 15 Wind and unwind about shaft 42 or else about a small drum fitted thereto. For larger planes the gear 44 is also keyed to shaft 42 and a double reduction gear 45 put in mesh with it and operated by the motor 47 and pinion 46; or a gear is attached to hand-wheel and shaft 35 and thus operated by motor 47 and pinion 46. The wire 48 consists of a set of three Wires and are so connected to the motor and the switch, that, when the switch is thrown in, the motor revolves in one direction, when it is thrown out it stops the motor, but when it is thrown in again it revolves the motor in the opposite direction by changing the direction of the current through the motor. Thus this motor alternately raises or lowers the wing sections 1 and 2 as desired by throwing in the switch which operates in conjunction with release pedal 3G; while the hand wheel only is used when it is desired to swing units 1 and 2, 45 or more degrees past the vertical.

The motor switch which is operated by cut out cord 49 is so arranged that the lever which the cutout cord operates will travel past the cutout point when wing units (1) and (2) are hand operated past the vertical. The pulleys 19 and 2O are used as cable guides while the struts 1l are generally used in pairs on the swan and navigator type of monoplanes; although if the wings are built sufficiently strong, these struts are not necessary, and then the cables 15 may be run through the wing unit 3 as it is in the mosquito type of monoplane. For hangar purposes the wing unit (l) can be unlocked by hand-bolt lock 14 and revolved about the hinge 13 and fastened to holder 22; thus reducing the width of the hangar necessary for housing these planes by one-half.

The all-purpose landing gear may be variously constructed. It may have a small pontoon built around each land wheel, or 1t may have a one piece flat bottom pontoon, either rigid to the landing gear or tiltable by the levers 10, or as is here illustrated in the drawings it is built of two units. The front pontoon (3 being built rigidly about the landing gear with a concave bottom surface and its sides boing flush with the wheels 7 which are of the double disc type, being hollow inside and having demountable tires 3l thereon. To the rear of 6 by means of hinges 32 is fastened a fiat pontoon-wing section 5, this being tiltable by rods 10 and lever 30. Shock-absorbers 2G are built within the pontoon unit 6, and axle 21 is curved to fit the concave bottom of G. rlhe landing gear may be of the two or three brace type; the two brace type having braces 8 and 9 in pairs; while the other has a pair of number 55 braces added thereto. As stated the pontoon-wing section 5 is tiltable by hand lever 30 which operates about ratchet 29. A rod 34 being attached to lever 3() and connected to arm on shaft 28. Compression springs 59 being placed on said side of said arm and held into position on lever 34 by stop collars 33.

Small levers extending outwards from each end of shaft 28 connect with rods 10, so that as lever 30 is swung forth or back, the rear of unit 5 is titled up or down, thus allowing for a correct pontoon angle with the water from the start, up to the takeoff from the water, and again when in the air for additional lifting purposes when necessary. The pontoon sections 5 and 6 are only built of sufiicient size so that the wing sections 1 are also necessary in the water to keep the plane afloat when fully loaded and standing still, the tail-pontoonwing 53 and skid 54 iioating the rear end when starting the take-oli', but when plane is traveling at a sufficient speed on the Water, the wing sections 1 and 2 may then be raised to a horizontal position with the aid of the ailerons 27, then with a downward thrust on pontoon-wing section 5, the tail rights itself and the plane takes off from the water. Then the plane alights on the water,

the Wing sections 1 and 2 are first lowered to a vertical position with the aid of the ailerons into the water when the plane has reduced suiiicient speed to require them; the

5 action being somewhat similar to that of a duck tipping its wings into the surface of the water as it alights.

It will, of course, be understood that various changes may be made in the form, de-

tails, arrangements and proportions of the parts without departing from the scope of my invention, which generally stated, consists in a device capable of carrying out the objects above set forth and in the novel parts and combination of vparts defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a monoplane the combination of a three unit wing structure, the two end sections of which are constructed leak-proof and rotatable, by means of drawbars and cables, from a horizontal to a vertical position for float purposes, and further rotatable fortyfive degrees or more past the vertical for hangar purposes, about hinges which are fastened to the underside of the middle wing section, and means for rotating these end sections and holding them into the desired positions for either ioat or wing or hangar service, subsantially as disclosed herein.

2. In a monoplane the combination of a three unit wing structure, the two end sections of which are constructed leak-proof and rotatable from a horizontal to a vertical position about hinges.y which are fastened to the under side of the middle Wing section, and means for rotating these end sections and holding them into the desired positions for either pontoon or wing service, the middle of said end sections being further foldable by means of bolt-locks and hinges for hangar purposes, substantially as disclosed herein.

8. In a monoplane the combination of a three unit wing structure, the two end sections of which are constructed leak-proof and rotatable from a horizontal to a Vertical position about hinges which are fastened to the under side of the middle wing section, and means for rotating these end sections and holding them into the desired positions for either pontoon or wing service, the middle of said end sections being further foldable by means of bolt-locks and hinges for hangar purposes, together with an all-purpose landing gear having wheels and a tail skid for landing on land, and having a pontoon built rigidly between said wheels, and another lpontoon-wing type structure hinged on the ack thereof, the rear end of the pontoon wing being movable up or down by means of levers and rods, and a fuselage constructed either above the middle wing section, or below it, or within it, and having a tail-plane and skid, pontoon constructed, substantially as disclosed herein.

purposes.

MAX F. SCHULTZE. 

